JANUARY 1, 1913 



For my sui'i^lus honey I use shallow ex- 

 tracting supers, and cut the honey from 

 the frames in four pieces, weighing ap- 

 proximately one i^ound each. 1 have no 

 trouble in disj^osing of all of it at 20 cts. 

 per pound. 



Webster Springs, W. Va. 



EXPERIENCES OF A FOUL-BROOD INSPECTOR 

 Different Types of Beekeepers Met 



BY J. E. CRANE 



GRANDPA NICKEL 



BY MRS. MARY EOBISON 



I am sending you a picture of grandpa 

 Nickel, a dear lover of Gleanings. He is 

 very much interested in all of its articles, 

 especially in the Temperance and Our 

 Homes departments. He is a retired farm- 

 er, and keeps a small apiary for pastime 

 and pleasure. His honey, of which he al- 

 ways has a good supply, he divides among 

 Ills children, grandchildren, and friends. 

 He does not know I am sending his picture, 

 and 1 want to surprise him. Grandpa Nick- 

 el is my father. 



Concord, 111. 



Grandpa Nickel among his bees, Concord, 111. 



Continued from page 815, Dec. 15. 



There is reason to believe that there are 

 some persons who are not fond of seeing 

 an insj^ector. One man told me that last 

 spring the cattle commissioner condemned 

 and killed most of his cows, and now I had 

 come to kill his bees, and he seemed to feel 

 as though his lot were a hard one. 



A good lady was afraid the inspector 

 would open her hives and set the bees to 

 robbing (as no honey was coming in), make 

 them cross, and that they would sting the 

 domestic animals and even poultry, causing 

 any amount of mischief. She reasoned 

 well, only she did not know the inspector. 

 (One man told me that last year he lost 75 

 turkeys by the bees stinging them to death. 

 I can not vouch for the truth of his story; 

 but I think there may be some truth in it, 

 as I believe his bees were the Grossest I 

 have ever seen.) But there was no disease 

 among this woman's bees. On the contrary, 

 I found that her hives had had the nicest 

 care, and her surplus combs were the finest 

 I had seen anj'where. I have sometimes 

 thought that beekeeping is not adajDted to 

 women, nor women adapted to keeping- 

 bees ; but since I have seen the success of 

 this woman, and of others whom 1 might 

 mention, I have decided that it might be 

 well to revise my opinion on the subject. 



One woman went with her husband to 

 look over the bees on a hot summer day. 

 He had on a thick coat, gloves, and veil to 

 protect him from stings, while she walked 

 around fearlessly with bare liands and 

 arms. 



Still another woman, the mother of five 

 small children, I found helping her grand- 

 father, who was eighty-three years of age, 

 and nearh' blind, caring for a large j^ard 

 of bees. With me she looked through the 

 entire yard to find any diseased colonies. 

 She told me she was in perfect health, and 

 enjoyed the outdoor life. 



An inspector has many opportunities to 

 receive as well as to give instructions. In 

 going around among all sorts of beekeep- 

 ers he finds many persons who excite his 

 l^ity or sympathy. One of these, an old 

 man with a farm and a few bees, appeared 

 feeble, and had but one hand. I have seen 

 many one-armed people, but never before 

 one that appealed to me as he did. How 

 could he care for his bees with but one 

 hand? I often find myself wishing I had 

 three when I am working with them. 



